For the past couple of weeks, alarm clocks have been buzzing early at Hira

and Inaaya Shakir’s house. The family has been waking up around 4 a.m.,

plenty of time to eat a fi�lling meal before the sun comes up. After gobbling

down sandwiches, eggs, and other protein, the sisters usually try to snooze

for another couple of hours before getting ready for school. ❚ Muslims all

over the world have similar rituals as part of Ramadan, a holy month ded-

icated to prayer, refl�ection, and service. It marks when Muslims believe God

revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. ❚ For student-athletes,

Ramadan brings additional challenges. While abstaining from food and

drink from dawn to dusk, they must maintain the same level of focus on

both academics and sports.

Inaaya Shakir brings the ball up the fi�eld during a recent Franklin Township travelsoccer match. COURTESY OF FATIMA IQBAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Test of faithMuslim student-athletes take onextra challenges during Ramadan

“Running is nothing. If I can get through a whole day without

eating or drinking, I can get through a 100-meter race.”Ali Ashour IIMorris Hills freshman track and fi�eld athlete

See RAMADAN, Page 4A

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MORRIS PLAINS – Memorial Day Weekend festiv-ities in New Jersey hit the ground running Saturdaymorning, with 13 marching bands and a massive C-130military transport aircraft fl�ying over one of MorrisCounty’s smaller boroughs.

It was holiday business as usual in Morris Plains,where the population of about 5,500 residents seems

to double every year for moving Memorial Day cere-monies at Robert’s Garden, followed by a big paradealong Speedwell Avenue and a family cookout at theVFW hall.

One signifi�cant change this year was a new mayor,Jason Karr, presiding over the solemn opening cere-mony. Karr, though, orchestrated a perfect segue be-tween himself and former Mayor Frank Druetzler,

Big parade, fl�yover marks Memorial Day William Westhoven Morristown Daily RecordUSA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY

See MEMORIAL DAY, Page 8A

Gov. Phil Murphy is demanding that some of thepolitical appointees on the Economic DevelopmentAuthority board resign, saying it is a moment to “turnthe page” at an agency that approved nearly $11 bil-lion in tax breaks that the state comptroller saidlacked adequate controls and oversight.

But it appears Murphy is not trying to turn the fullpage in his unsuccessful bid to remake the troubledagency’s board.

Since Murphy took offi�ce in January 2018, all ofthe authority’s members — including Murphy’sDemocratic Cabinet members and appointees cho-sen by Democratic legislative leaders — voted inlockstep with the Republican appointees he wants toresign on every occasion to approve 37 projects, ac-cording to a NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY NET-WORK New Jersey analysis.

Those projects were approved for the Grow NJ andEconomic Redevelopment and Growth programs —the two main incentives now at the center of a policydispute that has mushroomed into a political waramong Democrats. The infi�ghting has taken priorityover any discussion of what the state may do oncethe incentives expire next month. And Murphy’s oth-er top priority for the year, legalizing recreationalmarijuana, has been sidelined to 2020 amid a lack ofconsensus within the party.

The tax breaks, which were primarily used by for-mer Gov. Chris Christie, are the focus of an investiga-tion by a task force Murphy hired following thecomptroller’s damning report of how they were ad-ministered. His fellow Democrats who lead the Legis-lature — and who passed the legislation creating theincentives — have said in response they will conducttheir own investigations. The attorney general hasalso said his offi�ce is examining the tax breaks.

The incentives approved under Murphy totaled$470 million, according to the analysis of EconomicDevelopment Authority documents. That’s separatefrom the nearly $11 billion awarded since 2005 thatare under investigation, but the voting record doesnot seem to align with the logic behind Murphy’s at-tempt to restock the board with like-minded leaders.

GOP, Demsunited to OKNJ tax breaksMurphy presses Republicanappointees to resign posts Dustin Racioppi Trenton Bureau

and Ashley Balcerzak Trenton BureauUSA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY

See TAX BREAKS, Page 6A

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Ramadan began in the evening ofMay 5, and is expected to end after sun-set on June 4.

It is a particularly crowded time ofyear, as Advanced Placement exams andfi�nals compete with playoff�s for their at-tention. But, as South Brunswick fresh-man Hira Shakir pointed out, fasting isone of the fi�ve pillars of Islam, “thingsthat are holding up our faith.”

Morris Hills freshman Ali Ashour IIbelieves “you have to be mentally pure”during Ramadan, no cursing or music orviolent imagery. Keeping a positive atti-tude, even during physical deprivation,is key to the spiritual message.

Diverse observance

Muslims make up 1 percent of the to-tal United States population, about 3.5million people, according to the Pew Re-search Center. In New Jersey, they makeup about 3 percent. It’s a diverse groupthat includes African-Americans andfamilies with roots in South Asia and theMiddle East.

Both Ashour and Ahmed Abdulla’sparents emigrated from Egypt. They metat the Islamic Center of Morris County inRockaway many years ago, and are nownearly inseparable after school. The twoboys – Abdulla a Morris Knolls freshmanand Ashour a freshman at Morris Hills –work out together almost every after-noon: lifting, doing footwork, and work-ing on football routes.

Abdulla, who grew up in the Parsip-pany Hills Little Vikings system andtransferred after the family moved toDenville in January, was most concernedwith how Ramadan might aff�ect hisgrade-point average. Like the Shakirs, hewakes up before sunrise to eat, thensqueezes in a couple more hours of sleep.After school, he works out, breaks thefast with Iftar, and goes to the mosque.Sometimes he doesn’t get back homeuntil 11:30 p.m., which doesn’t leavemuch time for homework.

“Getting through the day is our goal,so you surround yourself with peoplewho help you achieve that goal,” said Ab-dulla, who played defensive end and de-fensive tackle for the Parsippany Hillsfreshman football team last fall.

“If we can get through the day, us

working out is building our strength, ourmental strength especially. When it’s notRamadan, you don’t have an excuse notto work out. You worked out for a monthwith no food or water and you survived.

You can do anything. ... Unless you putyourself in my shoes, there’s only somuch you can understand. It’s not about

RamadanContinued from Page 1A

Almost all of the Franklin Township Panthers are fasting for Ramadan, even though it’s during their travel soccer season.COURTESY OF FATIMA IQBAL PHOTOGRAPHY

South Brunswick freshman Hira Shakiris competing for the track and fi�eldteam while fasting for Ramadan.COURTESY OF FATIMA IQBAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Hanover Park junior Rania Benatia competes in shot put at Morris County Relaysin Madison on Jan. 1. MITSU YASUKAWA/USA TODAY NETWORK - NEW JERSEY

See ATHLETES, Page 5A